I am feeling very low tonight. I messed up Bruce's meds big time this week, fortunately no medical issues, but set him back nonetheless. My sister called, funny how insync we are and talked me down. so rather than rant, thought I would share a funny story. Bruce has a size 10 EEE foot and some of his foot bones need surgery. We were going to have the surgery done just before the stroke happened because he was having more pain and difficulty walking. Buying shoes has always been difficult for him and to top it off, he does need dress shoes. (Kira just got mad at all this typing and I wouldn't let her help, so she marched off to settle with Bruce-pretty funny). We have a great family-owned shoe store in New Haven. Bruce goes there twice a year for their sales and buys from 4 to 6 pairs of shoes. He will go through a pair of shoes in about three months. He did his usual thing in November 2008. The next sale was in February 2009 and I knew he had gone, but in the aftermath of his late March stroke, had forgotten. About one week post stroke, his boss came and said "I checked Bruce's phone messages and his shoes are in." A dear friend went to get them and brought me three pairs of new shoes, which I deposited in the living room. Two days later, his boss says "Bruce's shoes are in." I said "Lynn picked them up." Bill says, "I know, I told them that, there's more." Lynn again goes off to the shoe store and picks up two more pair which I put in the living room. Two weeks later, Bill calls and guess what? Lynn picks up two more pair, which a year later, Lynn still has. Anyway, my sister is helping me arrange stuff for Bruce's homecoming and says "What do you want me to do with these shoes?" I said put them in the closet. She comes out and says "There's eight new pair already in there." I said just put them in there and she does. The contractor arrives in July to do the bathroom. He wants the closet to add to the new bathroom. Mary Beth (my sister) arrives and says "what do you want help with?" I said move the shoes to Bruce's office closet, the contractor wants this closet for the bathroom. Mary Beth proceeds to throw out the shoes Bruce was currently wearing and then moves all 13 pair to his office and says "I don't want to hear about shoes for Bruce ever again!" Mary Beth came with us for Bruce's fitting of his custom AFO when the sales rep says to us "He's going to need special shoes for this." Suffice to say I removed Mary Beth before she could hurt the sales rep, but found her later with the AFO in Bruce's closet saying "I will make one of these work!" Ah, the perseverence of the Italian American Princess! And she did. His Rockports are working well and he still has a pair for dress without the AFO if he needs them. But funnier still, Mary Beth says to me, "does Lynn have his new moccasins?" I said, no, not mocs. Mary Beth says "well he's going to need a new pair, these are shot!"